Garment-stay



(No Model.)

B. WHEELER.

GARMENT STAY.

No. 403,809. Patented May 21 1889.

u. PETERS. mummflwn wahln wn, D. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSCOE B. IVHEELER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

GARM ENT-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,809, dated May 211889.

Serial No. 280,089. (No model.)

-will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same, ref- .erence being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This invention in garment-stays is designed as an improvement on mypatent, dated March 20, 1888, No. 379,882, and on that class of staysknown as the self-attaching, the construction of the stay being suchthat it may be rapidly attached to a garment or to the marginal edges ofthe open seams of dresswaists without sewing. In the latter positionthis stay takes the place of the common whalebone and. various styles ofcovered steels which require stitching t0 the garment. In my formerpatent the steel or flexible blade is faced on one side with a textilefabric and on the opposite side with a coating or covering ofgutta-percha tissue, the gutta-percha side being placed next to thegarment and a hot iron to the textile-fabric side of the stay, wherebythe gutta-percha is-fused, thus uniting the stay to the garment.

It is sometimes necessary to let out the seams of a dresswaist which areunder the arms, so as to enlarge the waist, and when the backs of thestays are covered with guttapercha, as in my former patent, the removalof the stay from the open seam, so as to let out the seam, leaves partsof the gutta-percha sticking to the garment, which, when let out, leavesstains along the let-out seam. To avoid this deficiency is one of theobjects of this invention.

In the construction of this stay the textile covering and thegutta-percha are applied to the steel or flexible blade on the sameside, the gutta-percha lying next to the steel and the textile fabricoutside. By this arrangement the back face of the steel or flexibleblade is left exposed, or is not faced or coated with the gutta-percha.I also protect the ends of the metal or steel blade by a strip oftextile fabric which crosses the blade at the ends on the back face. Theend linings are secured to the textile-fabric covering of the front faceof the stayby applying heat, whereby the gutta-percha firmly unit-es theparts. The end linings to the blade are used when a thin sheet ofgutta-perchais employed. When using the heavy grade of gutta-percha, thelinings may be dispensed with, as the guttapercha will have a sufficientbodyto properly cement the ends of the blade to the textilefabriccovering.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thespecification, I will proceed to describe the invention, in which-Figure 1 is a back plan of two series of stays as they appear in sheetform according to my invention, and in said View the zigzag linesindicate the points of separation. Fig. 2 is anisometrical view of aportion of a dresswaist, showing my improved stay partly attachedthereto, one end being turned up to show the open or main seam. Fig. 3is an enlarged cross-section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlargedlongitudinal central section of my improved stay.

In Fig. 1, D represents the stay in sheet form. In said view theblack'surface represents the coating or layer of gutta-percha. Srepresents the steel or flexible blades, and Z Z are strips of textilefabric which cross the ends of the series of blades.

The-stay consists of the flexible or flat metallic blade S. This bladeis faced on one side only with a textile fabric, A, or like covering.This covering is wider and longer than the blade, whereby the marginaledge 7) is formed. Between the blade and the textilefabric covering isplaced a coating or sheet of gutta-percha, H. The gutta-pereha projectsbeyond the edges and ends of the blade, the same as the cloth coveringor facing A, whereby an adhesive or gutta-percha margin, a, is formedalong each edge and the ends of the blade on the back side. (See Figs.1, 2, and 4. To more firmly secure the ends 6 of the blade, a strip oftextile fabric, Z, paper, or like thin flexible material, is placed soas to cross the ends of the blade. (See Figs. 1, 2, and i.) The partsthus arranged are united by applying to the textile-fabric covering ahot iron, whereby the gutta-percha is fused and the parts are united,thereby retaining the steel or blade in position.

This stay is made in sheet form, as shown in Fig. 1, which isaccomplished by laying a series of the blades S on a suitable table orplatform, and at the same distance from each other. The thin sheet ofgutta-percha, H, is then laid on said blades. On this sheet ofgutta-percha the textile fabric, A, is placed. A hot iron is then passedover the fabric, A, whereby the gutta-percha is fused, and when 0001 theparts are united in sheet form. This sheet D is then turned over, asshown in Fig. 1, and the strips of cloth, Z, paper, or like material areplaced so as to cross the ends e of the blades. A hot iron is thenapplied to said strip, melting the gutta-pereha.

along the ends of the steels, thereby uniting the stripto said steelsand to the fabric, A,

plied to the fabric sideAof the stay, whereby the marginal edges a a ofgutta-perch are fused and the stay is attached to the garment. It willbe observed that there is no guttapercha on the under face of the bladeS. Therefore the portion of the garment along each side of the seam 2does not" become coated or stained with the gut-ta-percha. (Said spaceis indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.) This construction willtherefore allow the removal of the stay and the letting out of the seamfor ordinary purposes.

The stay can be removed by first applying a warm sad-iron and lifting onthe stay while the gutta-percha is warm.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A stay for the stiffening of garments and adapted to be attachedthereto by heat and pressure, the same consisting, essentially, of abacking of cloth, a layer of gutta-percha identical in size with saidbacking and secured thereto, and the resilient metallic blade, narrowerand shorter than the backing and .adhesive to the face of thegutta-percha in such a position as to leave an exposed margin ofgutta-percha surrounding said blade at the edges and ends thereof,whereby the wholestructure may be attached in position upon the garment,substantially as set forth.

2. A garment-stay, the same consisting of a steel, S, and the fabricvfaced with guttapercha tissue, whereon the steel S is centrally placed,and to which it is adherent, the afor'e-

